Protectors
by JacksonBeau
Summary: Castiel is gone and he sends a friend, Bernadette, to look after Sam and Dean.  They immediately don't trust her, but she could be more powerful  and helpful  than they think.
1. Chapter 1

Protector

Chapter 1- Lazarus Rising

**September 18, 2008**

Hell is a blasphemous place... Obviously. That's all I could think about as I flew through the air. Earth, really seemed so blissfully amazing. Earth was as close to heaven as I would get. I travelled and travelled looking for some poor soul. Found.

Her screams were heart breaking. The knife dug into her side again and again and blood oozed from each wound made. Why could no one hear her? I looked around and saw so many neon lights. Music was blasting from each building on the street. No one would hear her. I would have saved her, but I needed my vessel. If I didn't see Cas soon, I would most likely be sent back to hell.

The man stabbing this girl grabbed her wallet and ran away. I heard her heart beat trickle to nothing before I entered her body. I looked down at my new vessel and gasped. I could not see anyone in all this blood or in these very revealing clothes. I healed each wound before going to clean myself.

The girl's apartment wasn't far from lower Broadway Nashville. I poofed in. I wasn't surprised to see the place in a complete mess. If she looked like one, so would her house. I fought the urge to clean up and took a shower instead. This girl was a pig. I finished and wrapped a towel around my new body. It was then that I finally got a good look at myself. I was beautiful. I had long silky brown hair, tan skin, and bright blue eyes. I was glad about the eyes. They looked like Cas's.

I quickly dried myself, knowing that I was wasting time. The girl had many revealing clothes. But I eventually found a box labeled "mom". Inside were dresses that would cover my body better. I also found some cotton skirts and pretty button-ups. I pulled out a green cotton dresses with tiny roses on it. I got dressed making sure not to forget underwear. Suddenly, being a human didn't seem so great. It was too much work. I stuffed the rest of the clothes in a bag and threw in some ballet flats. I put a black pair on.

I fixed my hair into a half ponytail before leaving the girl's apartment with the bag over my shoulder. I, then, poofed myself to where I felt Castiel's pull. It was about 3am, but I knew he'd be there.

I appeared in a place I can only describe with one word: trees. I was in a wood. How was I supposed to find Castiel in this? I closed my eyes and whispered, "Cas?"

I felt a cold shiver up my spine. I turned around and sure enough, there was a beautiful beaming angel. I smiled and ran up to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me off the ground.

"I've missed you!" I squealed.

"I missed you to, B!" Cas said.

Cas released me back on the ground.

"So what's up?" I started, "By the way, thanks for the advice a few thousand years in hell isn't fun. I'm glad to be out."

Cas looked at me and I swear I saw a bit of guilt flash by his eyes. Or was it pain?

"I'm sorry, Bernadette." Cas shook his head. I did too

"It was my decision. But come on what's down here that's worth leaving heaven for?" I asked

Cas looked out to an open field, "I have a mission for you. It will keep you out of hell and two very important boys safe."

I looked where Cas was looking and saw a gravestone. A small one, but one nonetheless. I wondered who it was, but I didn't have too much time to think about it. Time was running out and Cas was on a mission as well.

"What do I have to do?" I asked him, looking into his blue eyes.

He sighed, "This boy will stop the apocalypse. As you know, the first seal has been broken."

I rolled my eyes, "It's all they talk about down there."

Castiel nodded, "I'll be able to protect him for some time. But you will have to pick up where I left off."

"Left off?" I asked, my voice cracking on the last syllable.

Cas looked down, "It's inevitable, Bernadette."

Trying not to get emotional I nodded.

"You must stay here. In time, your paths will cross with this man. You will then follow him for three weeks. At the end of those three weeks, they will discover you. You must tell them the truth." Cas finished.

"Who's them?" I asked.

Cas pointed to the grave, "Him and his brother, Sam. You must protect them. This man, Dean, may want to give up hunting, but you must make him continue. You'll have to leave them eventually, but if you don't protect them, they will die and we will no longer have anyone to save us. Do you understand?"

I nodded, "I understand."

"Do you accept this mission?" Cas asked me.

I nodded again, "Absolutely. But how will I know who he is?"

Cas replied, "Stand back and watch."

Something set in for me, "Wait! You want me to stay here? In Pontiac, Michigan? I get out of Hell and come here? Are you nuts?"

Castiel smiled, amused, "Sorry, hun."

I rolled my eyes, "Fine. But, Cas? Promise me you'll say goodbye."

Cas nodded, "I will. In due time."

"Castiel…that's not Dean Winchester is it?" I asked, hoping it wasn't.

Castiel nodded, "God needs him."

I nodded, "I have to protect him?"

Castiel understood, "I'm sorry Bernadette."

I sighed, "It's okay."

Castiel hugged me once more before disappearing. I stood by a tree, but made sure not to touch it. It was obvious what would happen to it. I waited. I waited for my best friend to bring back God's prophet. I waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, nearly twelve hours later, a huge sonic explosion blew every tree to the ground. Every tree was uprooted and laying on its side. I wasn't affected of course, but I felt for the wildlife. I looked out at the grave and saw a hand fly out of the ground. Then another was added. A man's head popped out of the ground gasping for air. I looked at him before deciding I'd gotten a good look at him. Before he could see me, I disappeared.

Dean Winchester. I thought I'd never have to see his face again.

**A/N Hey! First Chapter Woo-Hoo! So Yeah... Hope you like. Review please :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Eye of the Tiger**

Some Time Later

The alarm beeped…and beeped…and beeped. Dean thought that if he ignored it, it would go away. No such luck. Dean swung his arm over the side of the motel bed and beat the alarm clock until it turned off. He sat up and saw Sam working away on his laptop.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Sam smiled.

Dean simply grunted.

"I have a case we need to check out. Plus, I think you'll like it." Sam smiled.

Dean stood up, his knees cracking. He felt like an old man, "What is it?"

"A man's family disappears after their cattle disappears. All that was left at the crime scene? Sulfur." Sam said.

Dean looked over Sam's shoulder, "Definitely seems legit. Where is it?"

Sam turned around, "Pontiac, Michigan."

Dean stood up straighter, "Where I exited Hell."

Sam nodded, "You think they're related?"

Dean shook his head, "I don't know. Let's go find out."

Dean moved away from Sam to take a quick shower. Sam packed both of their bags and got the Impala ready to drive the three hundred miles it would take to drive all the way to Pontiac, Michigan. Dean finished quick and blasted KISS as he started the long drive.

Castiel had been gone for five months. Dean was still a little in shock. Castiel and Dean had been so close. Dean wanted to keep busy so that his mind wouldn't dwell on how much he missed the angel. For two months after he disappeared, Dean tried to figure it out, but Dean knew it was a lost cause. Castiel did warn him something like this would happen. Dean just wished he had a little warning. Maybe then he wouldn't be so depressed.

It took nearly seven hours to get to Pontiac, Michigan. They had gotten up so early so they arrived right around noon. Sam was able to track down the family and he led Dean there. Dean was the one to request they get right to work. Sam didn't disagree; he knew Dean didn't want to properly let go of Castiel.

Sam and Dean wanted to check out past events at the local library before seeing the husband. They wanted to be able to tell him anything they knew. The Library was fairly close to the husband's farm anyway.

"I knew I didn't like this town," Dean said as he looked around at the barren wasteland.

Sam chuckled, "I bet the woods are still demolished."

Dean nodded, "Most likely."

Sam and Dean entered the Library and were actually surprised to see it pretty full with people. Dean didn't think that these many people actually lived in this town.

"So what are we looking for?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged, "I think we should start by looking for past family disappearances, cattle killings, or any other sulfur related crimes."

Dean nodded, "Sounds like a plan. Where are past newspaper clippings?"

Sam shrugged, "Let's ask."

Sam and Dean started looking around for a librarian. Instead, Sam ran right into a girl in a red cotton dress. Her long brown hair was tied back in a half ponytail, and her scared blue eyes stared right at Sam.

Sam helped her up when she fell, "I'm so sorry."

The girl looked flustered. She couldn't speak. So, she ran away instead.

Sam looked back at Dean.

Dean shrugged, "I hate this town."

**One Week Later**

"Sam!" Dean shouted.

Sam and Dean were in the woods trying to find the body of a ghost in Illinois. Dean found a trail of blood along a tree. Sam came running over and touched it. It wasn't fresh, but it couldn't have been there long. It had rained two days ago and the blood would have washed away.

Sam and Dean picked up on this at the same time. Dean looked at Sam before continuing on the path. Dean heard some noise in the distance. When he turned a corner he realized that there was some kind of bonfire going on. Dean ushered Sam over to view what was happening. Nearly twelve people were standing around a bonfire.

"No! Guys that's not a good idea!" A female voice shouted.

Some guy laughed, "Shut up, it'll be fine."

Someone else started reading off Latin very badly. Dean and Sam stared as one of the guys dropped something in the bonfire. Then, everything went cold and black smoke rolled over the trees. They were summoning a demon. The demon possessed the guy who had been speaking the Latin. Just as Dean and Sam were about to turn the corner and interject a tree collapsed right in front of them. Debris fell on top of the two and they had to duck so that the debris wouldn't get into their eyes.

When the brothers looked up, the bonfire was out, ten of the teenagers were missing, and a cloud of black smoke was disappearing into the ground. The boy teenager was lying, passed out, on the ground. The girl teenager was sitting with her hands crossed in front of her face and she was rocking back and forth.

Dean looked back to Sam, "How the hell did that just happen?"

Sam could only shrug.

The girl stopped whatever she was doing and looked the brothers' direction. Dean ducked, but Sam stared. The girl looked so familiar. Her brown hair swayed as she ran away from the brothers and the passed out teenager.

**One Week Later**

Sam and Dean were travelling to Bobby's house on the last day of the third week. They had been stopped when the Impala's brakes failed. Dean figured he needed to get them fixed before travelling any further. Sam and Dean stopped at a shopping center just to walk around for a while. They grabbed lunch at a diner about one hour before, so they just needed to waste time.

Dean spotted an Apple store and felt so tempted to go in. So, he dragged Sam in with him. Dean walked right over to the newest MacBook. Sam was also interested, so he played on the MacBook next to Dean. Sam was fascinated, but when he looked up, he was more fascinated with the girl in front of him.

She didn't realize Sam was staring at her, which was good. She had long brown hair and crystal clear blue eyes. She looked so confused at what was sitting in front of her. She pushed a button and the laptop beeped. She jumped with surprise.

Sam grabbed Dean by the arm and dragged him away.

"Sammy? What the hell? I was playing with Garage Band." Dean complained.

Sam ignored him, "See that girl? That's the girl I bumped into when we were at the library in Michigan and she's the girl that was praying at the bonfire in Illinois. Why is she here?"

"Why is she everywhere we go?" Dean asked.

"We'll wait and ask her." Sam said.

Sam and Dean waited until the girl left before leaving. It was dark out. The brothers followed her at a distance. Finally, they were out of earshot. Dean sped up and grabbed the girl's arm. He dragged her into the ally next to one of the stores. She screamed. Dean grabbed both of her arms and forced her against the wall. This knocked the wind out of her.

"Why are you following us?" Sam asked.

Dean tightened his grip and the girl squealed, "Please don't hurt me! I didn't do anything to you."

"Why. Are. You. Following. Us?" Dean exclaimed/asked.

She closed her eyes and looked absolutely terrified, "I'm sorry! I'm not stalking you!"

"Who sent you?" Dean shouted.

Dean shook her once more, which got an answer out of her.

"Castiel sent me to protect you!" She screamed.

Dean stopped his hostility and Sam stepped back. This was the first time anyone had mentioned his name in front of Dean. Sam saw how hard it was for Dean. Sure enough, though, the hostility came back. Sam knew that was how Dean dealt with pain the best.

Dean dropped the girl, "Wow. Thanks Cas for sending me the biggest wimp."

The girl got offended, but didn't let actual anger reach her voice, "Um. Excuse me, who has saved you these past three weeks? In Michigan, who set the salt? Me. In Illinois, who finished that demon and returned all teenagers home safely? Me. Who led you to the body of the ghost? Me. I don't want to hear it."

This only made Dean angrier. He grabbed her neck and forced her against the wall, "Who are you?"

The girl couldn't breathe, so she couldn't answer. All she showed were her eyes. They had the same pattern as any old demon only they were green. Dean dropped her and backed up. The girl fell to the ground choking and gasping. _This isn't fair_, she thought.

Dean repeated, "Who are you?"

The girl regained herself and stood up, "My name is Bernadette and Castiel sent me to protect the both of you."

Sam had called Bobby and let him know they had to spend the night wherever they were, because the Impala was going to take longer. This wasn't a lie, but Sam wanted to find out more about Bernadette before going to Bobby's house. He was, quite frankly, scared of her. They had seen a lot of things, but never something with green eyes.

Dean was fretting around the room. He placed salt across each door way and placed some sigils around Bernadette, who was sitting on one of the queen sized beds of some random hotel room. She allowed Sam to, gingerly, tie her hands up with rope. She was willing to do anything, as long as they cooperated.

Dean finally finished and sat in front of Bernadette. Dean stared at her for a second. He stared at her fear stricken face.

"Who are you?" Dean asked.

"I already told you." Bernadette said, "My name is Bernadette and Castiel sent me to protect you."

"You're going to have to do better than that." Dean said.

Bernadette sighed, "Castiel was my best friend. We lived together in Heaven. He was the closest person to me and every angel knew it. So, one day you're good friend Azazel decided to join Lucifer. And he was trying to recruit as many angels as he could. Now, I was a no one in Heaven. So, I don't know why Azazel went after me, but he did. He said, 'If you don't join me, I'll kill everyone you love.' Azazel wasn't kidding. I knew he would go for Cas first. Cas had serious potential, so I told Azazel I would go."

"A fallen angel." Sam realized.

Bernadette nodded, "Precisely."

Dean scoffed, "Cas sent a fallen angel to protect us. A _fallen _angel? Please, tell me what he was on."

Bernadette turned to Dean, "I would have a little more respect for the angel who pulled you out of hell."

Dean rolled his eyes like a child. He sarcastically said, "Oh whatever. Why would Cas send a fallen angel to us?"

"Trust." Sam, surprisingly, retorted. He turned to Bernadette, "He trusts you?"

Bernadette nodded. She was still very frightened, "I still worship the Lord."

"What?" Dean asked harshly. "A fallen angel, a demon, worshipping the Lord?"

Bernadette nodded, hurt by his words. She cried out, "I never wanted this!"

"Then why did you say yes to Azazel?" Dean asked.

"If I said no, he would have killed Castiel and you would still be in Hell." Bernadette mumbled.

It was then that Dean noticed that Bernadette refused to look at Dean directly into his eyes. She was scared. No, she was terrified. Why? Dean felt no different towards to her. To him, she was another demon that was worth ridding the world of. He didn't like her. Bernadette didn't like Dean either. She wanted to ask Cas, why not Sam? At least Sam was nice. Plus, considering their history, Bernadette didn't want too much to do with Dean. Did he even realize?

Dean tried to meet her gaze, but she turned away. Dean stood up and she flinched. She was petrified of not only Dean, but of everything. Hell had left her scarred and she wouldn't let it go for a long time. She didn't like Dean's hostility.

"What else did Castiel tell you?" Sam asked.

"That I would run into you in Michigan and from then on I would be your protectors. He said that I have to keep you alive and hunting." Bernadette said.

Dean scoffed again, "How are you going to keep me protected? I think I'd be better off protecting myself."

Bernadette hung her head, again refusing to meet Dean eyes.

"You can't even look at me. How are you supposed to protect us?" Dean asked.

"You should have thought of that before slicing me in the pit." Bernadette spat.

As she showed her rage, Bernadette bent her head and closed her eyes. Praying.

Dean backed up and looked at her. Sam sighed and grabbed a knife. He cut the rope incasing Bernadette's hands. She immediately folded them in her lap. When she finished, she smoothed out her dress and looked up.

"You want me to leave?" Bernadette asked, "Fine. Maybe you're right. I am too weak."

Sam was about to disagree, but Bernadette turned to him with asking eyes. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't. Sam grabbed the sigils and swept the salt away. Bernadette disappeared within minutes. Dean was still speechless. He stared off in the distance. Sam sighed towards him before his phone started ringing. It was Bobby.

"Bobby. Hey what's up?" Sam asked.

"We have a problem." Bobby said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Smoke on the Water**

Sam and Dean arrived at Bobby's only a few hours after Sam received the phone call. Sam put Bernadette out of his mind for the time being, but Dean couldn't. He had hurt her in Hell. He was one of the souls that he hurt. On top of that, she was Cas's friend. He hurt Cas's friend. What an asshole.

Bobby ushered the brothers inside his panic room and locked the door, "There's a demon making deals with people."

"Why?" Sam asked.

Bobby paced, "She, the demon, wants to, 'feed her friends.'"

Dean nodded, "Send them to Hell as food."

Bobby nodded, "I would have taken her myself, boys, but she is really powerful. She must be older. Holy water burns her, but she's used to the feeling. Which means…"

"It'll be harder for us to be able to stop her." Sam nodded.

Bobby sighed, "Where did this bitch come from?"

"What does she look like?" Dean asked, suspicion in his voice.

Sam picked up on it, "Dean! I don't think so."

Dean shrugged, "Sam we haven't exactly had luck with trusting demons before."

Sam was reminded of Ruby and how she tricked him. That comment was directed from Dean directly to Sam. Sam felt its hostility, but Bobby was the one to react.

"Would you stop?" Bobby started, "I know this is hard for you, Dean, but there is something else more important. Now, what are you two talking about?"

Before Dean could talk, Sam said, "We ran into a fallen angel on our way here. She said she was sent by Castiel to protect us. Dean won't trust her though."

Bobby shrugged, "I won't be able to judge her unless I meet her. This demon has bleach blond hair and brown eyes."

Sam shook his head, "Not her. What else do you know?"

"She's going after middle-aged men. In the general area of the local Methodist Church." Bobby said.

Dean nodded, "Well let's start there."

Bobby said, "She does her bidding in the morning. We should wait until then."

Dean nodded realizing it was almost midnight. They moved from the Panic Room into Bobby's living room. Bobby left to pick up beer and cheese. Dean and Sam sat silently. Both of them stared at the ground without even moving.

Sam broke the silence, "Did Bobby demon proof the living room?"

Dean looked up, but it was too late. The front door that led into the living room burst open. Dean and Sam stood up and were greeted by a blond haired woman dressed in all black.

"Ah…" She sighed as she entered the house, "The Winchesters. I thought I'd never get you alone."

The woman flicked a finger and Sam was pushed against the wall, paralyzed. The woman walked up to Dean, who got is holy water ready. He sprayed it in her face. Her face burned, but she only turned her face to the side.

"Oh. That tickled." She cooed.

With another flick of her hand Dean was on the ground, paralyzed as well. The woman cut Dean's face with a flick of her nails. Dean yelled out. The woman sliced his arm with a knife and then she stuck her finger in the wound. Dean yelled again.

"You bitch!" He spat.

She acted as though she was offended, "Aw. Dean that was mean."

"What do you want?" Sam asked.

The woman's eyes went completely black, "To feed you to my friends."

Things started flying off the walls. Bobby's things went crashing all over and there was so much noise in the house. The woman was obviously making noise to cover up what she was about to do. She grabbed a sharper knife from the kitchen.

"Call her!" Sam said.

"No!" Dean screamed against the noise.

"She's your protector!" Sam yelled back.

"Dean. You were personally requested from some of my Hell mates. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't deliver?" The woman asked as she trailed the knife along Dean's chest.

Dean didn't want to, but he did, "Bernadette!"

And she was there, but she actually looked like a demon. Her green eyes were fully exposed and she looked pissed. Bernadette held out a hand and the demon went flying to the wall near the front door. Bernadette traveled over to the hanging demon and placed a hand around her neck. The demon let out a blood-curdling scream. The scream was so intense that Sam's ears began to ring.

"I bet that hurts. Right? Talia? I bet it feels like holy water that won't go away. Or maybe like eating salt." Bernadette growled.

The demon was terrified and in so much pain. How was she doing this?

The demon finally was able to speak, "God doesn't want you, you little slut! Look at you, doing the bidding of Christ with Lucifer's gifts."

Bernadette's wrath showed. She threw Talia into mid air right behind her. Bernadette held out another hand and a cloud of black smoke exited through the woman's stomach. Bernadette held the smoke in her hand. She threw the smoke at the ground and it disappeared in a pool of fire. Everything stopped flying and Sam and Dean were released from their imaginary bonds. Sam breathed easier and Dean stood up. Bernadette sat the woman down and placed a hand on her forehead. The woman woke with a start.

"Get out of here." Bernadette growled.

The girl ran out very quickly.

Bernadette's eyes returned to normal and her face relaxed. She turned to Dean and looked him in the eye.

"Still think I'm to weak to protect you?"

Bobby returned and saw his house completely messed up. There was broken class everywhere.

"I leave you boys for fifteen minutes and…" Bobby trailed off when he saw Bernadette curled up in a ball on the sofa, "Who's she?"

Dean opened his mouth, but Sam cut him off, "This is Bernadette. She's a fallen angel and she sent the demon back to Hell."

Bernadette stared at the floor, not even acknowledging that someone had said her name. She closed her eyes and rocked bock and forth. Bobby stared at the girl with questions running through his brains. He watched as Bernadette opened her eyes and all of the broken glass moved from the floor to a ball in mid-air. In one more swift movement the glass was in Bobby's kitchen trashcan. Bobby dropped the bag he was holding in shocked surprise.

Bobby cautiously moved towards the obviously fragile girl, "Bernadette?"

She looked up and flinched from his gaze.

"Are you okay?" Bobby asked, reaching out his hand to her.

Bernadette was up in a flash and across the room. Bobby turned around with shock written on his face. Bernadette looked at Sam, who had compassion written on his face. She looked to Dean, who looked so confused, that it looked slightly angry. She looked back to Sam. Her face showed that she wanted Sam to understand something he obviously understood.

"Wrath." Sam said.

Bernadette hung her head. Dean and Bobby looked at Sam.

"What?" Dean asked.

"One of the seven deadly sins." Sam explained.

Dean didn't understand, but Bobby got it. Bobby looked more confused, though, at realizing it.

"She's a demon, Sam." Bobby said.

"She still worships the Lord." Sam explained.

Bobby wanted to exclaim how confused he was, but he realized with his profession, anything was possible. Dean finally understood what Sam meant. Bernadette used her wrath to send a demon back to Hell. She went against God.

Dean sat on the sofa, "What do we do now?"

Bernadette looked up, "We keep you safe."


End file.
